The Case of those who would Die without having an Imam from the Imams of Guidance (Part of Previous Chapter)
5 Aḥadīth
Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali al-Washsha’ from Ahmad ibn ‘Aidh from ibn ’Udhayna from al-al-Fudayl ibn Yasar who has said the following. “ One day abu ‘Abdallah 
initiated to speak to us and said, ‘The Messenger of Allah has said, “Whoever would die and is not under the (guardianship) of the Imam his death would be like a death in ignorance.” The narrator has said that I asked, “Is that what the Messenger of Allah has said?” The Imam said, “Yes, by Allah, he has said so.” I then said, “Do all who die without acknowledging the Imam die as if died in ignorance (without religion)?” The Imam said, “Yes, that is right.”
الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْوَشَّاءِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَائِذٍ عَنِ ابْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ ابْتَدَأَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ الله يَوْماً وَقَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ إِمَامٌ فَمِيتَتُهُ مِيتَةُ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ فَقُلْتُ قَالَ ذَلِكَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ فَقَالَ إِي وَالله قَدْ قَالَ قُلْتُ فَكُلُّ مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ فَمِيتَتُهُ مِيتَةُ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ قَالَ نَعَمْ.
Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla ibn Muhammad from al-Washsha’ who has said that ‘Abd al-Karim ibn ‘Amr narrated to me from ibn abu Ya‘fur who has said the following. “I asked abu ‘Abdallah about the words the Messenger of Allah. ““Whoever would die and is not under the (guardianship) of the Imam his death would be like a death in ignorance.” The narrator has said I then asked, “Is it death in disbelief (in religion)?” He said, “It is death in error .” I then said, “Thus, whoever would die today and would not have an Imam would his death be considered as if he has died in ignorance (without religion)?” He said, “Yes, that is true.”
الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْوَشَّاءِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الْكَرِيمِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي يَعْفُورٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله عَنْ قَوْلِ رَسُولِ الله ﷺ مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ فَمِيتَتُهُ مِيتَةُ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ مِيتَةُ كُفْرٍ قَالَ مِيتَةُ ضَلالٍ قُلْتُ فَمَنْ مَاتَ الْيَوْمَ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ إِمَامٌ فَمِيتَتُهُ مِيتَةُ جَاهِلِيَّةٍ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ.
Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan from al-Fudayl from al-Harith ibn al-Mughira who has said the following. “I said to abu ‘Abdallah , ‘the Messenger of Allah has said, “Whoever would die without knowing who his Imam is he would die as if has died in ignorance (of religion).” The Imam said, “That is true.” I then said, “Is it the ignorance of uneducated people or ignorance of ones not knowing his Imam?” The Imam said, “It means the ignorance that is disbelief, hypocrisy and error?”
أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله قَالَ رَسُولُ الله ﷺ مَنْ مَاتَ لا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَهُ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً قَالَ نَعَمْ قُلْتُ جَاهِلِيَّةً جَهْلاءَ أَوْ جَاهِلِيَّةً لا يَعْرِفُ إِمَامَهُ قَالَ جَاهِلِيَّةَ كُفْرٍ وَنِفَاقٍ وَضَلالٍ.
Certain persons of our people have narrated from ‘Abd al-‘Azim ibn ‘Abdallah al-Hassani from Malik ibn ‘Amir from al-Mufaddal ibn Za’id from al-Mufaddal ibn ‘Umar who has said the following. “Abu ‘Abdallah has said, ‘Whoever would follow the religion of Allah without hearing (instructions) from a truthful (Imam) person Allah will cause him, inevitably, to suffer hardships. Whoever would claim to have heard from a source other than the one Allah has opened for him, he will be considered as polytheist. The source and door that Allah has opened is the one that trustworthy in the matters of the hidden secrets of Allah.”
بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَظِيمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله الْحَسَنِيِّ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ عَنِ الْمُفَضَّلِ بْنِ زَائِدَةَ عَنِ الْمُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله مَنْ دَانَ الله بِغَيْرِ سَمَاعٍ عَنْ صَادِقٍ أَلْزَمَهُ الله الْبَتَّةَ إِلَى الْعَنَاءِ وَمَنِ ادَّعَى سَمَاعاً مِنْ غَيْرِ الْبَابِ الَّذِي فَتَحَهُ الله فَهُوَ مُشْرِكٌ وَذَلِكَ الْبَابُ الْمَأْمُونُ عَلَى سِرِّ الله الْمَكْنُونِ.